Richard Knerr

With his best friend, Arthur "Spud" Melin, Knerr founded a toy company, which they named after the sound their first product, a slingshot, produced: "Wham-O". The company produced a parade of products that entered the American and world psyche, and still produce nostalgia today: the Hula Hoop; the Frisbee; the Superball; the Slip 'n' Slide and the Water Wiggle; Silly String. "In April of 1958, people were standing around the block at department stores that were waiting to get their shipment" of Hula Hoops, said Knerr's son, Chuck. The company was turning them out at the rate of 20,000 per day. But "by September, you couldn't give them away. Once every household had two or three, it was over because they lasted forever." Knerr and Melin sold the company in 1982. Knerr died January 14 after suffering a stroke. He was 82. From This is True for 13 January 2008 Suggestions for further reading: Catering: A Guide to Managing a Successful Business Operation by Bruce Mattel, The Culinary Institute of America Amazon Price: $29.70 Customer Review: This is a well-organized text with comprehensive coverage of business challenges faced by a caterer, ranging from in-hotel to off-site mom/pop style businesses. It is very helpful and readable, although I hoped for more recipes and display ideas to l...   Barbie in A Mermaid Tale (Barbie Panorama Sticker Book) by Reader's Digest Amazon Price: $7.99   Barbie The Island Princess Board Book (Barbie (Reader's Digest Children's Pub... by Reader's Digest, Mattel Photo Studio Amazon Price: $4.00   Toy Monster: The Big, Bad World of Mattel by Jerry Oppenheimer Amazon Price: $10.17 Customer Review: I'm sorry I had to arbitrarily give this book one star. Truth is, I haven't read the book, but I "Searched Inside" and found that the author claimed I declined to be interviewed. Um, he never called me or tried to reach me in any way. I am always hap...   Barbie and Ruth: The Story of the World's Most Famous Doll and the Woman Who ... by Robin Gerber Amazon Price: $17.99 Customer Review: Robin Gerber's biography of Ruth Handler is well researched, thoughtful, insightful and obviously written out of a genuine curiosity. With all this in mind, why did this biography leave me feeling a bit slighted? I think the answer lies in the titl...   Newsfeed display by CaRP

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